Swift News

I am so thrilled to find that the RSPB have used one of my blips to head an article on swifts on their website. Bird photography isn't my strong point but I wrote to them asking about the frequency of swifts getting grounded, attaching a photo. I heard nothing until earlier this week:-

Hello Sue, thank you for your email and the excellent photo.

It is not a common occurrence but we do get a few reports each year of grounded swifts. This is often the young but this bird must be an adult because it is a bit early for young to be fledging.

They have very short legs and long wings so once they are grounded then they can't normally flap enough to get off the ground. They are then easy pickings for passing predators. You have done the right thing by giving this bird some height. Normally this is all they need.

We are very concerned about the swift population as it has suffered a serious decline. We are not sure why but it seems to be related to a lack of nest sites. We are currently running a swift survey and will be putting media releases out soon about this. We feel your experience could be a great feature of the article. Would it be possible to use the photo and your story? We have not finalised our media work on this yet so I am not certain it would be used but it could be a great feature.

Best wishes


Richard James
Wildlife Advisor
RSPB UK HQ
The Lodge, Sandy, Beds, England
SG19 2DL
01767 693690

Their article was posted to the web site this morning, and may feature elsewhere.